test

Ordinary days are like flowing water, tasteless, with only a faint aftertaste, and they pass by very quickly.

Their leisurely time came to an end, the sunlight faded, and they began their journey back.

The carriage stopped when it reached the village; the rest of the journey they had to walk back.

The damp soil on the road had almost dried, but because the moonlight was weak and the night was too dark, Xu Ruoyan dared not be careless and still carefully helped Pei Jue walk, just as she had when they came.

The two walked home together, leaning on each other, without saying a word.

“It’s so quiet,” Pei Jue suddenly said.

Xu Ruoyan was taken aback for a moment, then naturally picked up where he left off: "Winter is not over yet, and the small animals that are not hibernating are probably too afraid to come out, so you can't hear any sounds."

Pei Jue nodded slightly.

"You really want to leave here, don't you?"

Xu Ruoyan was taken aback by the sudden change of topic.

It's a declarative sentence, she thought.

That's true. Someone as smart as Pei Jue couldn't possibly not guess what she was thinking. But admitting it like that wasn't Xu Ruoyan's style.

"How did you know?" she asked.

!

Pei Jue's voice was calm, effectively concealing his emotions.

"Otherwise, what would you do with all those precious herbs you collect and the money you make?"

Xu Ruoyan chuckled: "It's to help with household expenses. Haven't you noticed your meals have gotten better lately?"

Pei Jue didn't seem to believe it, but Xu Ruoyan didn't expect him to either.

She dropped her teasing expression and turned her gaze to the distant mountains shrouded in night: "I did initially want to run away, after all, I wanted to live my own life and didn't want to spend the rest of my life with a stranger with whom I had no feelings."

Moreover, in novels, the plot of being sold into servitude usually ends in a particularly tragic fate, which would frighten anyone. Xu Ruoyan muttered to herself.

"So, you don't want to run anymore?"

Xu Ruoyan immediately looked at him with a relieved expression, the same look a parent would have when they finally teach their child the multiplication table.

This person finally got to the point!

She nodded: "Yes, I don't plan to leave for now."

At that moment, Pei Jue felt a surge of secret joy. He was about to ask why when he heard Xu Ruoyan say, "We're crossing the bridge, be careful."

Connecting the two ends of the mountain is a suspension bridge. This bridge is incredibly old, seemingly having witnessed decades of life alongside these mountains. The wooden planks are like an old woman's teeth, missing pieces here and there. The flimsy bridge hangs high above the valley, swaying and creaking with every gust of wind, taking a long time to finally come to a stop.

This is the only way home.

Xu Ruoyan kept a close eye on Pei Jue's feet, afraid that he might fall into the abyss if he wasn't careful.

Normally, she didn't feel anything when she walked by herself, but at this moment, Xu Ruoyan was actually a little scared.

"I definitely won't let you come out this late next time," she muttered.

After finally crossing the bridge, they hadn't walked far when the small courtyard appeared before them, emerging from the darkness.

"Madam, please rest early." Pei Jue stood at the doorway, hesitated for a moment, and then added, "I had a very happy day."

Xu Ruoyan watched him enter the house, then went back to her own room to rest early.

After returning to his room, Pei Jue did not rush to bed. Instead, he sat down at the table and lit the oil lamp, showing no intention of falling asleep.

A moment later, Zhu Ying knocked on the door.

“Master, it’s me,” he whispered.

"Enter."

Before, it wasn't very obvious because of the door. But now that Zhu Ying was standing in front of Pei Jue, the smell of blood was much stronger.

Pei Jue's handsome brows furrowed slightly: "What's going on?"

Zhu Ying wiped the blood off her arm and replied in a deep voice, "Don't worry, Master. I'm fine. I just encountered some thugs on the way to Wuying Pavilion. I wasn't seriously injured during the fight, but I'm not in any serious condition."

Pei Jue nodded and asked no further questions.

He knew that Zhu Ying was aware of his injury and would bandage it herself in a while. Besides, getting injured was commonplace for people in their line of work, so there was nothing to make a fuss about.

Their conversation quickly turned to business.

"The imperial examination is in three months, and we must find a suitable candidate. We don't have time to wait another three years."

Zhu Ying bowed his head: "Your subject understands."

Pei Jue unconsciously rubbed his temples: "The training of the Shadowless Pavilion's secret guards should also proceed simultaneously. I want to see preliminary results in a month."

Zhu Ying remained respectfully bowing her head: "Yes."

After a few seconds of pause, Pei Jue spoke again: "And..."

His voice was lowered even further, so Zhu Ying had to step forward and lean in to listen.

"Your blood-stained clothes will be cleaned by Madam tomorrow."

Zhu Ying immediately understood her master's meaning, agreed, and quietly left the room.

The next day, Xu Ruoyan got up very early.

Because she spent two days playing with Pei Jue, she didn't have time to collect herbs, so she needs to collect more today.

After making breakfast for Pei Jue, she intended to sneak out, but Zhu Ying called her back the next second.

"Madam, here are some clothes for you to wash."

Xu Ruoyan put on a stern face and stared at him unkindly.

Who gave him permission to disrupt his plans?!

But as the saying goes, when you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head. She tried her best to suppress her impatience, took the clothes from Zhu Ying's hands, and took a closer look.

It's blood.

Xu Ruoyan was already unusually sensitive to the smell of blood, and Zhu Ying had deliberately placed the bloody part on it, so it was hard for her not to notice.

But in just a few seconds of thought, she knew she couldn't hide it anymore; the expressionless face on her face couldn't fool Zhu Ying.

Xu Ruoyan knew that the bloodstained clothes were a test from Zhu Ying and his master. In this way, she could also clearly feel Zhu Ying's probing gaze moving over her. Therefore, no matter how much she pretended, she would not be able to deceive Zhu Ying.

People's subconscious reactions are the most genuine, and they all know this.

Xu Ruoyan responded to Zhu Ying as if nothing had happened, saying that she understood and would wash the clothes in the evening. She then piled the clothes aside, picked up the bamboo basket, and went out.

Zhu Ying watched Xu Ruoyan's departing figure thoughtfully.

He was about to report to his master when he turned around and found Pei Jue already standing behind him.

"Did you see that? She didn't react at all." Pei Jue's expression was calm as he faced the direction Xu Ruoyan had left.

Zhu Ying fell silent. Having followed his master for so many years, this was the first time he couldn't figure out what his master was thinking, so he could only choose to keep quiet.

Zhu Ying waited for a while, naturally expecting to hear orders like "Kill her" or "Dispose of her," since in the past, anyone who posed a threat to their master, no matter who it was, would only receive this fate.

However, what he received was the reply, "I'll talk to her."

When he looked up in disbelief, he found that Pei Jue had already walked far away.

In the afternoon, Xu Ruoyan, thinking about the pile of laundry that needed washing and Pei Jue's dinner, rushed back early.

When she saw Pei Jue standing motionless in the courtyard like a stone statue, she closed her eyes in despair.

As she expected, the judgment that was due would eventually come, and the deceitful tricks would be exposed sooner or later.

"Madam is back." Pei Jue looked at her, his face as calm as ever, but Xu Ruoyan somehow sensed a hint of rage in it.

She calmed herself down and, as she walked over, calculated her chances of survival.

Logically, since Zhu Ying had already noticed something was wrong with her in the morning, she should have started running as soon as she stepped out the door, running to a place where neither Zhu Ying nor Pei Jue could find her. But that was obviously wishful thinking. She didn't think that with her physical abilities she could run out of this godforsaken place before dark, nor did she think that with Zhu Ying's strength she could not find her.

Besides, running away would only make them more suspicious!

More importantly, she had an intuition—

Pei Jue will not kill her because of this.

After all, the smile Pei Jue showed when facing her was genuine.

They were talking about repaying a debt of gratitude just two days ago, so why would they suddenly turn around and kill me? Besides, they certainly couldn't possibly know that I'm a transmigrator.

Running away was not an option, nor was staying; in the end, Xu Ruoyan returned.

So at this moment, she stood in front of Pei Jue, staring at him intently.

"Is there anything you'd like to say to me, Madam?"

"No," Xu Ruoyan replied curtly.

Pei Jue showed no sign of anger; he simply said, "Madam hasn't practiced her martial arts today. Let's make it up now."

Xu Ruoyan closed her eyes in despair once again.

She had already planned out the entire plot, using the guise of martial arts training to deliver a fatal blow and eliminate her to prevent future troubles.

However, Pei Jue wasn't asking for her opinion. No sooner had he finished speaking than a fist, accompanied by a whistling wind, came hurtling towards them.

Xu Ruoyan's instincts, honed through years of martial arts training, guided her body, allowing her to dodge the punch and block Pei Jue's attack in time.

Pei Jue showed no sign of stopping. He clenched his other hand into a fist and, taking advantage of Xu Ruoyan's moment of blocking, met her face with his fist.

Xu Ruoyan suddenly leaned back, barely dodging the attack.

She could tell that Pei Jue had murderous intent.

After five more moves, Xu Ruoyan was forced to retreat steadily. Her body simply couldn't hold on any longer; she couldn't even dodge, let alone fight back.

As Pei Jue's hand, shaped like an eagle's claw, lunged at her neck, she sighed and closed her eyes resignedly.

Even if I were given a second chance at life, would I still die so hastily?

However, after a few seconds, she found that the expected force did not appear.

When she opened her eyes again, she was met with Pei Jue, who was smiling.

"If the lady doesn't open her eyes soon, she'll fall asleep."

Xu Ruoyan glared at him without any intimidation.

Pei Jue stepped forward, grabbed Xu Ruoyan's wrist, and said, "It's too cold outside, let's go inside and talk."

After entering the room, Pei Jue poured a cup of tea and respectfully handed it to Xu Ruoyan, saying, "I'm sorry that you were frightened, Madam."

Xu Ruoyan lost all interest in her tea and stared straight at him: "What do you mean?"

"I just wanted to test the Madam a little."

Xu Ruoyan stared at him for a long time, and finally sighed, which was considered as tacitly agreeing to let bygones be bygones.

"When did you learn martial arts, Madam?"

"When I was little," she answered vaguely.

Pei Jue didn't press further and changed the subject:

"Would you be willing to cooperate with me, Madam?"